3 weeks, & 3Days, 11 Countries and 4761 Miles !!!

[POTSKI]

Hi Shep...Glad the bike behaved. They turned out to be a good bike the V strom. Mrs P and I enjoyed looking at your photos over dinner...now she wants to take a trip to, and I quote, " wherever those gorgous waterfalls and blue lakes where!!" One day hey!!
Thanks for sharing.

Cheers
Potski

[PHILinFRANCE]

Hi Shep...Glad the bike behaved. They turned out to be a good bike the V strom. Mrs P and I enjoyed looking at your photos over dinner...now she wants to take a trip to, and I quote, " wherever those gorgous waterfalls and blue lakes where!!" One day hey!!
Thanks for sharing.

Cheers
Potski

Hi Potsky
My better half fancies the lakes aswell so i found them they are in Croatia and are called The PLITVICE LAKES NATIONAL PARK its about 20hrs away from us (no m/ways) 15hrs on m/ways !! I,m half way through planning a trip there just need to find out about all the REGS in other countrys tomorrow never comes
PHIL

[steveR]

I think there maybe a slight problem with the Unimogs they apparently do about 10mpg !!!!!!!!

I will ride a full ride report but one great story from this trip. I was going down the Bosnia/Serbia border and i came to a small not very pretty industrial town, the name escapes me.

Anyway i am on the traffic lights with 2 cars in front of me and a bar to my right. Suddenly about 7 or 8 men come out of the bar carrying another man. I was looking at the man being carried and wondering what they were doing?

They put the man down in the middle of the street and then i realised that this looked a bit serious !!!! the men who had been carrying him were all armed with Kalashnikovs !!!! they pointed the guns at the man lying in the street for about 1 minute then they smiled and let al the guns off in to the air !!!!!! the noise was incredible. This is in the main high street !!!!

Apparently it was a birthday celebration.

I was

1 Crapping myself

2 Thinking you do not see that in Guildford High Street !!!!!

And presumably,

3 WANTING to be in Guildford High Street!

[Shep]

Steve and Potski

You are right they are the Plitvivce lakes and they are a Unesco world heritage site and they are COMPLETELY STUNNING.

A real highlight of the whole trip

For these countries you need

Slovenia - Nothing
Croatia - Nothing
Bosnia - Green card for your insurance OR you can buy there insurance cost 10 euros at the border (What i did)
Montenegro - Green card for your insurance OR you can but there insurance cost 13 Euros ( What i did)
Albania - Nothing, but is suspect that i was not actually insured going through Albania.

All the other EU countries, France,Germany,Italy,Austria and Switzerland which is non EU nothing.

Lake Bled - Slovenia, Plitvice lakes, Dubrovnik -Croatia, Mostar and Sarajevo - Bosnia Kotor inlet - Montenegro and Albania all really worth seeing

[POTSKI]

Hi Phil,

Yeah..google says about the same distance for us here; sure looks like a beautiful spot. Good luck with the planning/trip. One to add to our long, evergrowing list for the future. Our main problem is we work in tourism = not much time for personal jollies in the summer months when everyone else is on holiday. Things aren't quite the same in the winter!

We definitely must meet up some time; let me know if you are coming down this way...

Sorry to hijack your post Shep!! Superb trip, and what a bargain 11 countries for £850 ...


Cheers
Potski

[Shep]

One other thing

YOU DEFINETLY NEED YOUR ORIGINAL VEHICLE LOGBOOK/Ownership document not a copy but the original, i was asked for this all the time. Remember Charley and Ewan in the Long Way Round at the Ukranian border with a photocopy, 12 hours at the border ............

Nobody wanted to see my insurance or MOT certificate, just the Logbook

[deskjetian]

Thanks Shep. This is all good info, your ride report would be invaluable.

I want to ride down to Lefkas in Greece to visit my daughter. Had thought I would take the ferry from Venice down there but your photos suggest that would mean I miss out big time.

[Shep]

Desk

The Minoan Ferries Venice - Patras would be a lot quicker, but as you rightly state you would really miss out.

Also the roads are really good all the way down, especially Albania !!!

I had no problems at all, you need the Original Logbook and Green Card insurance or you do as i did and buy at the border.

All the way down you will see rooms to let ZIMMER or CAMERE, They are really good quality and 15 to 20 Euros a night. I also camp

Prices are similar to Britain, maybe a bit cheaper but not much. The pound is unfortunately about as valuable as toilet paper these days

[tendays]

Ace photos shep, thanks for sharing. More roads to add to my must see list.

Next i want to see a full writeup of how you did your fork springs and brace.

And i must concede, red stroms look good.

/td

[Shep]

Tendays

I see that you have a V Strom ACE BIKE

The fork springs, and brace and Madstad bracket transform thgis bike from good to exceptional.

I bought a set of Sonic 0.90kg springs when they arrived i took the forks out and split them. Took the old springs out and dropped in the new springs, you use the existing spacers. I used 10wt Motorex Fork oil, and it is really superb now. HUGE,HUGE difference.

The Fork Brace is a Murphs item it simply bolts on 5 minute job, but again it really works to be honest i was very dubious, but it was money really well spent.

The Madstad on its highest setting and about half way back with the standard screen stops all the buffeting for me 90mph with visor up and nbo breeze at all, lot less tiring than original windscreen mounting bracket.

The only other mods i have done is fit a 12v plug, really useful for charging Mobile Phone, Digital Camera and Ipod.

Also i have a set of Renthal standard trail bars fitted, for me a big difference too much weight on back before. Now canted forward just a little bit, and voila 500 mile days no problems at all, they also have a much stiffer and quality feel than stock.

I also have the standard DL1000 seat fitted.

I use a basic Garmin E Trex Legend GPS with full 2009 Euro mapping (Bent copy off Ebay!!!!!) fitted to the handlebars with a RAM mount, and finally a set of heated grips.

Its a very good touring set up. What i would say to any DL owner is get the springs,brace and Madstad bracket and be amazed at the difference.

Just bought a stable-mate for the V Strom about 20 minutes ago a 1999 Honda VFR800 from a good mate,whose company has just gone bust.